Vague Shadows
by Good Ninja
Summary: A mage abandons his craft to learn the ways of warlocks and demons, but makes a mistake which saves his life, and puts him in a world of danger.
1. Chapter 1

Vague rose his hand, the gloved hand holding a gleaming dagger. Or it would be gleaming if it wasn't midnight and near pitch black. He stabbed the dagger into the dirt into the center of a red hexed pentagon, digging a slight scoop out. He removed the dagger and put it back in his belt, then slid a capsule out of a pouch from within his red and black robes, popping it open and letting the red liquid pour forth from the tube into the scoop he had dug into the ground. He stood up and back to look at the runes he had put upon the ground.  
"I'll show -them-…" He muttered to himself as he crouched and dug his knife under a root, working at getting it out of the ground. His circle of runes and the pentagon stood upon a cliff edge surrounded by forestry and dropping off into the ocean. Such places weren't too uncommon in Azeroth. As the root popped out he grasped it with the other hand and brought it to his nose, sniffing lightly. He scowled softly and tossed it off over the cliff.  
After a moment he grabbed a piece of paper off the ground, snapping his fingers. A soft orb appeared, glowing and moving over his shoulder, shedding light upon the parchment, a beam of light ebbing softly over his features. His intense blue-green eyes scanned over the paper. After they left the edge of the bottom he rolled it up and held it in his grasp.  
"Everything's all set, then. Quick and easy." He grinned and snapped his fingers. Another orb appeared over his other shoulder. Together the two orbs cast their light upon the entire rune-circle and pentagon, lighting up his work area. He held out his hands and began to chant aloud.  
_"Ita everto mos exsisto Hal'Baneisto existo e nox noctis orbis of cruor quod flamma quod tribuo vomica vox of scelestus."_

As he spoke the ground trembled. It cracked in a perfect circle within the circle of runes, breaking the pentagon in places. The small pool of blood steamed, a red mist hissing upwards. The blood jetted upwards as if shot out by a geyser, turning into a fine mist that coalesced and took form.

Long black horns curved backwards over pale blood-red hair falling to still forming shoulders, crimson wings jutted out from a slender back, dark claws forming onto long fingers and arms. A nubile but pure white-skinned body with nubile legs and breasts solidified before Vague's watching eyes. Pale eyelids opened to reveal indignant, angry orbs of eyes that glowed a deep red. Soft, barely pink lips parted. It- she, rather, was clothed in black, somewhat metallic/form-fitting armor.  
"Who summons me?" was half said, half murmured with an echo that threatened to rip into Vague's mind. He hardened himself and allowed himself a smirk. The demon before him was trying already to try to attack his mind. His wards were working well enough to dull it to less then a headache.  
_"Subsisto , Everto! EGO sum accersitus , quod vos es accersutis. Pereo mihi!"_  
To his surprise, the demon seemed to roll her eyes and spoke. "Don't try to talk to me in your lame warlock Latin language like you think it's universally demonic. You have a tongue and a natural language. Use it." Her voice was impressionably human, as though she were a noble.  
He was so stunned it took a moment for him to gather a response. "Fine, then. You're a dread lord, are you not?"  
"Dread lady, but correct." She replied almost boredly, but her eyes were looking over his runes with intense scrutiny. He could tell she was looking for a weakness or flaw in his wards she could exploit.  
"Then you have the power capable of giving me the ability and knowledge that I wish. Do you not?"  
"Correct again." Having apparently found no flaw in his magical bindings, she cocked her hips to the side and folded her hands over her chest. She stared at him, her eyelids half-drooped. He clenched his teeth slightly. Her nonchalance was annoying.

"Fine. Then by the runes that bind you and the spell that brought you forth, I command you to give upon me all the power of the demons. I wish to become the greatest warlock in this world!" He said aloud, making a dramatic fist gesture.

For the first time the demon seemed caught off guard. She blinked and leaned her head back, peering at him. Her skin darkened near her cheeks- Vague could swear she was _blushing._ And was that embarrassment in her voice..?  
"Okay, first, the runes that bind me are -not- all that strong. I'm pretty sure I could break through them simply by ramming through them. Secondly, do you have any idea the kind of power you're asking for? I don't have the ability to turn you into a massively powerful warlock with the snap of a finger, or even a ridiculously complicated spell." She gestured at the runes around her, frowning.  
"…You don't have the power?" He said incredulously. "Are you not the legendary dread lord.. Err, lady, Bal'Haneisto, commander of legions?"  
"…no, I'm not. I am Hal'Baneisto… his youngest sister." She stared at him for a moment. "You messed the name up during summoning, didn't you?" She sneered slightly. "Just liked you messed up your runes. You make the line crooked on that shielding spell." A long finger claw pointed at a rune.  
"…so? The runes should still be strong enough to bind you."  
"Actually, not even that. The little quake that occurs with summoning? Seems to have broken a line through -all- your runes.."  
Vague jerked and looked. She was right. He had noticed it but hadn't paid attention to it. The runes were broken. He looked up as the dread lady lifted one arm, placing the fingers against her cheek.

"Actually, even with those runes, Bal would have totally ripped through them. Did you really think a demon capable of making you an uber warlock would be bound by a simple circle of runes?"  
"… I suppose my mistake saved my life." Vague admitted. "Although, it seems it's also granted me a vastly weaker demon." He scowled and took a slow but long step backwards, watching her intently, as if he knew something she didn't.  
She frowned, looking actually hurt. "But it looks like I'll get to have all the fun instead, too." She said with anger inherent in her voice, and took a step forward, her black heeled boots sinking onto a rune. They both paused despite themselves and looked at the rune. Nothing occurred. She looked up, grinned, and lunged for him.  
A sudden purple shock stopped her as her body slammed into an invisible wall, and she stumbled backwards as the purple energy crackled along her body, shuddering. "What!" She roared with indignity and rage. It was a good thing they were miles from civilization. Vague had picked a good spot.  
He laughed. "You didn't really think I thought that circle would hold him? I -did- think he'd think the same thing as you, though." He leaned down and brushed dirt off with his hand. And there, upon the stone of the cliff, were more runes under the dirt, outside the broken circle. "The area is laden with them. You're quite bound."  
She scowled in pure shock.. And sighed, folding her arms, looking defeated."….fine. What is it you wish me to grant you? I can't give you all that much."  
He shrugged slightly. "I want to become the most powerful warlock in the land. Other stuff, too."  
Hal'Baneisto looked at him. "How exactly did a measly mage like you learn so much about demonic runes of binding, then? I thought only a warlock could properly do these. And the blood of a fel creature, too."  
Vague shrugged. "I used to be in-training to be a mage of Dalaran, but I got the boot for my research into using demonic energies as a basis for arcane magic. Too dangerous, they said. So, when I left, I took a few things.. Including a scroll on demon summoning and a few vials of certain.. Substances." He grinned.  
"…Why a warlock, then?"  
"Weren't you just listening? Fel magic as a basis for arcane arts. Warlocks are the greatest at controlling fel energies."  
The dread lady stared at him for a few moments. After a moment, she smirked, but it faded away before she spoke again. "Alright, fine."  
Vague promptly held out a blank piece of parchment, taken from inside his robes, and placed it upon the ground. He murmured arcane words and demonic words alike- within moments it was filled with markings and words in the fashion of a contract.  
"Then sign this." He held it out and it floated, a ripple flowing through the air as it passed through the barrier between them. One of his orbs of light followed, casting light upon the parchment. She grasped the paper and brought it to her face.  
"…You're kidding." She tossed it aside and held a palm at the paper. It burst into flame and disappeared in an incineration. "You -must- be joking. This is an insult."  
Vague raised his eyebrows, looking confused. "What? It's a .. was a binding contract." He obviously had not expected the defiance, and gritted his teeth.  
"Don't fool with me. It demanded that I be your vassal!" She hissed. "A servant, an obedient peon to your whims! I will not subject myself to such things. Return me!"  
He stared blankly at her. "..…why?" _I don't know how, although I wouldn't even if I did._

"……." She stared at him wordlessly. For the first time all hardness left her face and she just stared at him, her arms dropping down to her side.  
"..you don't know how to do it yourself, do you?" Vague questioned.  
"…no." She admitted softly. "Damn it all." She kicked the dirt. It flew and hit the shield, and sank down to the ground.  
"So it seems like you're stuck here unless you swear to be my vassal." Vague quietly commented. "So why don't we skip the part where you refuse for x days and x nights before giving in?"  
A long silence followed. Vague watched her as silently as she remained, thinking to himself.  
_I got a young one instead of an old veteran. I'm not sure whether this is a mistake… Or a blessing. _He smiled slightly. She was starting to make noises, baring her teeth and emitting soft whining sounds. She was coming to the conclusion he already knew- she'd have to do it. She emitted a strained sigh.

"Fine. I swear allegiance." She said without much conviction. She kneeled on the ground and performed a complex bow, her head lowered towards him.

As she did so, Vague raised one hand, murmuring. A green spark snapped between them, and both flinched. He continued his murmuring, his voice rising towards the end. "..and so it is done." He lowered his hand. "Rise."  
She rose to her feet, a defeated scowl lain into her face. "I hope you do not intend to force me to act as a servant. I may be your vassal, but I am not your slave."  
Vague grinned slightly. "Of course not! You just happen to have to obey my every whim and command, but we can certainly say you're not a….." He trailed off, for as he spoke, Hal'Baneisto had grown pale and almost.. Afraid. It looked strangely pitiful on her demonic form, and a human twinge of sympathy resonated inside him. It was wrong to taunt her like that and he knew it. Her denial of it could be understood- he wouldn't want to be a slave either. He paused. They looked at each other as Hal folded her arms, waiting for him to finish. "…I'm sorry. Vassal, right."

She appeared genuinely surprised and pleased he had not continued, and it sent a small wave of pleasure into him, which he then tried to squash. _She's a -demon-. _He thought to himself, watching her. "Well, come on. You can step out of the rune circle now." He took a step back. After a moment she stepped forward, through the shield. Nothing occurred- she walked straight through without incident.  
"Splendid." She said with disdain as her face returned to coldness. It was so quick a change Vague had to remind himself she had been able to show pleasure and fear just a moment before. "So."  
Vague nodded. "..so. Can I call you Hal? That last part is a bit rough on the tongue."


	2. Chapter 2

"And that's how you summon forth the felhound." finished Hal, sitting cross-legged in front of Vague, an open book in her lap and various papers scattered around her, littered with runes. She shifted on the floor slightly as Vague scribbled down in a similar, if not exactly duplicate, book. The room's light source came from one of Vague's glowing orbs near the ceiling. The room also had two beds and a dresser, though the dresser was untouched.  
"Although they hunt the arcane and could just eat the runes that bind them, they'll obey the summoner. We're not sure why, but the best equivalent is your 'dog.' A sort of loyalty that isn't really called for, but enjoyed nonetheless."  
She shrugged and rested her hand on her chin, looking at Vague. Vague had removed his robes and wore a red linen shirt and long black pants. At Hal's behest he had shaved off the hair on his face- it made him look evil, apparently. Now he looked his age again, in his early twenties, maybe late nineteen.  
"Uh huh.. This is rather complicated, though. How do I do it in the midst of combat as I do the imp, void walker and others?" He said quietly, looking up at her as he spoke. Hal shrugged slightly.  
"Same principle as the others. The runes will appear on the ground and by funneling your mana through them the demon will be called."  
"And to prevent the felhound from eating said runes?"  
"They can't do that unless they're right there in front of you. Mormodor's Law prevents them from disrupting a casting they're part of anyways."  
"That makes things easier." He scribbled a little bit more, then leaned back and sighed. "That's all the easy ones. Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, and Felhound." He put the book down and rubbed the back of his head, looking out the window. They were in a log cabin of sorts they'd found abandoned. With a few cleaning spells it made a good spot to rest before the travel into town. It was night, with the waning moon waxing in the sky.  
Hal nodded and stretched out herself, stifling a yawn. "Correct. Most of my kind know how to summon them, but it's usually easier to just find one and coerce them into servitude." She shrugged slightly. "When you have armies of demons at your beck and call, you don't need a reason for summoning them."  
"Speaking of which," Vague began, "Why can I not summon more then one at once? I mean, it'd be far more useful to have all four out then try interchanging them constantly."  
"Probably. But the effort to maintain the bond between summoned and summoner becomes exponentially hard. Keeping one requires no effort. Two would require your constant concentration, and three would require an iron will. Losing control would result in said demons breaking loose and probably trying to devour your soul or flesh, whichever they liked more and whoever got to you first." She chuckled dryly. She began to pick up the papers, putting them back together.  
"Right.." Vague murmured softly. "Unless…" He began muttering to himself softly.  
Hal watched him for a moment. The words runes and binding were mentioned a few times, she could hear, but she didn't know what he was planning. Vague had little practical knowledge, but his skill as a mage was not to be underestimated, she had discovered, and he had a near perfect understanding of runes. His desire to learn more runes was startling; while passing by Kaldorei ruins, he had stopped to go investigate and look for possible runes.  
The Kaldorei were the first to use magic, after all. While they didn't invent it per say, their use of it caused the introduction of it into their world. It also caused their general destruction and alienation; and after the war, so few remained. Ruins of the Kaldorei were rife with artifacts and magic, but also usually were swarmed by beasts or demons eager to lay claim. She'd been forced to tend with the Dark Strand, a sect of warlocks, while Vague explored inside a temple.  
He'd been grievously wounded when he returned, carrying a few books. His wounded state had elicited a strange sense of sympathy in her; she had healed him and cared for him over the night as he fought off a strange illness the wound had brought with it. Afterwards, Vague treated her with much more kindness and equality then he had before; and she had begun to act and by actions feel the same towards him.  
"Hal?" Vague's word brought her out of her thoughts. She shook her head and looked up.  
"Yeah?"  
"You can't really go into town looking like that, you know." Vague gestured at her. She looked down at her demonic self and raised an eyebrow.  
"I could if I wanted to. What would they do about it?"  
"Well, for one, they'd probably call for guards and have me hanged or shot and you killed."  
"..true. Well, it's easy enough.." She gestured over her body and murmured an enchantment. Her horns shimmered and vanished, along with her wings. Her skin gained color and became fleshy pink, and her clothing became an acceptable black blouse and red pants made out of silk. Her red hair she let remain the same. She looked up at Vague and made a small pose from her sitting position. "Acceptable?"  
Vague stared at her for a moment in a way that didn't feel too uncomfortable before answering. "Er, yeah. Wow. You look good, Hal."  
"..thanks."  
"Anytime."  
"Do you want to get some practice in or should we make time for your body's need for sleep?" Hal questioned with some measure of condescension in her voice. Vague looked at the ceiling, apparently unbothered.  
"I'm too tired to practice summoning yet. We should just get some sleep." With that Vague packed up his own books and lifted himself off the ground. Tossing his own book onto a bed, he leaned down and scooped up a few of Hal's papers as well, helping her up. He smiled at her and moved to the bed, sitting down on it. He grasped the book again and lightly pushed it off the bed, letting it thunk on the floor.  
Hal herself simply slid into the other bed in the room. Vague snapped his fingers, and the orb vanished, and took with it the light in the room. The room went dark, moonlight streaming in through the windows and settling in a squared shape upon the floor where they had sat. Hal looked at the circle for a while, her senses taking in Vague's movements. He wasn't sleeping yet.  
"Vague?" She said aloud, but quietly.  
"Yes, Hal?"  
"Teach me your own magic."  
"…you don't know how to use the arcane?"  
"I know the principles and I know fel magic… but not the discipline."  
"Figures.." Vague yawned in the dark. "You didn't know how to return home.. You don't want to learn just so you can do that, do you?"  
"No. I want to learn because.. Well, I have my reasons. Will you?"  
"Of course, Hal. You need only ask."  
"…thank you, Vague."  
"Good night, Hal."  
Hal paused for a long moment before replying. "Good night, Vague." She shifted under the covers and closed her eyes.

Hal awoke with a start to the sound of bird wings overhead. She sat upright and felt behind her for her wings in a momentary panic before remembering her enchantment, and calmed down quickly. She exhaled softly and looked around the room. Vague's bed was empty, and it was morning- the sun was on the rise and shining into her bed from the window. She slipped out of the bed and walked to the door frame, leaning against it as she looked out.

Vague was outside. With the sun shining down brightly, he had eschewed his robes again. For a user of the arcane, he wasn't too frail under his robes. Hal had always wondered why all the human males seemed to be naturally built in this world, but she had no complaints.  
She did, however, question the existence of an imp, succubus, void walker and felhound standing around him..


	3. Chapter 3

Vague grinned and extended his arm out to the four summons he had performed. "Hal! Glad to see you finally up. For a demon you sleep in pretty late."  
Hal rubbed her eyes. "For one," She corrected, 'I'm a dread lady, not a demon. And for two, there's no sense of time in the netherworld. And for three,_ what in the name of Archimonde are you doing!_"  
"Oh, this?" Vague grinned. "Hal, I'd like to introduce you to Vanoo, the Imp, Char, the Voidwalker, Bronnys the Succubus and Jhaama the Felhound." The four made respective noises. The Voidwalker and Felhound were only capable of growls or strange rumblings, but the Imp was able to talk (in an annoyingly sarcastic voice), as was the Succubus (in a less annoying voice.)  
The Imp was only a foot tall, and was vaguely humanoid, but had red skin, horns, glowing yellow eyes and wore naught but a loin cloth. The horns and tail didn't help much, either.

The Voidwalker was bigger then Vague by a few inches. It was only vaguely humanoid, consisting mostly of swirling, black energy contained inside a translucent exterior bound by two golden bracers on extended portions forming arms and fists. It's bottom trailed off into nothingness like a genie's, and it's head was simply two glowing yellow orbs on an extended portion of the exterior.

The Succubus was as tall as the Voidwalker and looked much like Hal did when she had first arrived. Black hair fell about her shoulders, parted by two thin and small horns poking out of her forehead. A set of bat-like wings extended from her back, and her legs turned to fur ending in hooves around her knees. Her hands were claws, and her clothing was questionable in decency. Despite her inhuman features, she was still incredibly attractive by human terms.

The Felhound was simply a beast of some sort on four legs, half as tall as Vague, and red-skinned with many scales and horns. It had two long ones like a bull pointing forward, and a long, extended jaw and tail. It did not appear to have eyes.

"You haven't answered my question." Hal replied, her eyes narrowing. She made no motion of having heard of or cared for the introductions.

"…right. Well, for those of you recently summoned, this is Hal. She's a dread lady, and not someone you'd particularly like to mess with when angry."  
"Hah! She looks like a mortal human!" Vanoo, the imp, cackled. "Why would a dread lady willingly forgo her own form for that of a human? She must be a _real_ looker in her normal form if she needs spells to-" Vanoo the imp was suddenly a pile of smoked grass and dirt in a flash of green light.

Vague winced and turned to Hal, who had raised her hand to do the deed, her teeth gritted. "Answer. Now." She said very slowly and with restrained emotions.  
"Fine, fine. I'm using arcane binding spells like the one that brought you here to keep them on this world. Your lesson taught me how to summon them, and how to bind them. I just replaced the fel bindings with arcane bindings, except for the felhound, on whom they don't work. But since a single fel binding is perfectly fine for me to handle…" Vague shrugged.

Hal stared at him for a few moments. Her expression didn't change, initially, and her sharp eyebrows, black as they were, stayed crossed over her eyes. But little by little they returned to normal, betraying her impressed state amidst her angry face.

"And you blew up a set of good runes when you did that. Then again, I guess the weakest possible summon doesn't matter much. I'll just transfer his potential into the Voidwalker."  
"Wait, what?" Hal uttered. "Now you make no sense. There's no context or grounds for that. I never taught you how to do that, and that's an incredibly complex piece of magic."  
"You seem to forget I was a decent mage before I turned to this, Hal." Vague smirked. "Transference of energies is easy, and the Voidwalker is a receptacle of energies. I mean, all he is bound nether energies given sentient will. If I take our now-deceased friend's energies and transfer them into the voidwalker, he should gain the imp's abilities and powers. " The Voidwalker craned its head towards Vague, making a sort of happy rumbling sound.  
"It can't possibly be that easy."  
Vague rose his hand towards the scorched spot of earth. "Wanna bet?" Bronnys ooh ed softly and crouched on her legs, wings beating as she watched with interest.  
"You can't handle the fel energies like that, just replacing your elemental magics with it. You'll harm yourself. You won't be able to just take the essence of a demon and shove it into another demon to form a stronger one."  
"You underestimate me."  
"You overestimate yourself."  
Bronnys cut in. "Why not just let him do the spell? If he's wrong, you'll have proven him wrong, and there's no one to blame but himself."  
Hal narrowed her eyes again at Vague. "Because he's my way home and if he gets himself killed I'm stuck here." She felt odd saying so, as if stating it made it untrue.  
"Nice of you to care, Hal." Vague remarked, stretching out his fingers. "But that's not going to stop me from doing it, you know."

"Vague.. You can't do it."  
"Like I said.. Wanna bet?"  
Bronnys cut in again. "I'll take that bet! Vague, if Hal's right, you should have to do a quest of her choosing or something, or obey her as a teacher. Hal, If Vague's right.."  
"He won't be."  
"You just watch. I'll take that bet. And if I win, you have to …" Vague paused, pondering.

"I'm already teaching you. There's not much more I can give you." Hal snipped, brushing her red hair over an ear and folding her arms.

The succubus cut in, yet again. "Well, if he loses, he has to obey you. That's going to be kind of embarrassing and sub servile for him." She grinned. Despite the friendly, joking nature of it, her appearance gave it a sinister, demonic appearance. "So you should do something embarrassing as well."  
"Oh, grow up." snapped Hal.

"No, wait. Let her." Vague motioned. "I'm curious what you have in mind."  
"How long would you have to obey her or do her quest, if you lose, first?" Bronnys inquired.

"Probably a week or two. Sound about right, Hal?"  
"I'm still against this whole thing." Hal narrowed her eyes. "If I agree to a bet you -will- do it, and that I do not want."

Vague rubbed his forehead. "One and a half weeks then."  
"Then she needs to do something of equal length." Bronnys replied.

"I SAID I am not agreeing to your bet." Hal snapped.

"Hal, shush. I'm going to do it either way. If you're right and I'm wrong, you get to prove me wrong and you get some measure of control over me. Either you can lose out, period, or you can bet and maybe, if I'm wrong, gain something." Vague raised his eyebrows at her. Hal paused. "How about it?"  
"You're a friggin bastard. Fine."  
"Great! Bronnys, why don't you think up what she should do?"  
Bronnys smirked. 'I think she should have to apologize to you. Kiss and make up." She folded her arms. "AND she has to teach you how to do curses."  
"Curses?" Vague questioned, his eyebrows raising. Hal snarled softly, stomping a foot towards Bronnys.

"Why don't you keep your mouth shut?" She hissed.

"No reason for me to." Bronnys replied with a demure, sadistic smile. "Besides, the runes I'm bound to force me to help him out."  
"You -offered- that information." Hall retorted.

"Yup." Bronnys chuckled to herself.

"Girls! What, are curses?" Vague asked, confused.

Hal turned towards him, grinding her teeth slightly. "Curses are a warlock's normal way of engaging in combat. They're multitude and have a variety of effects, usually debilitating to an enemy. A curse of weakness will sap their strength, a curse of corruption will damage them over time, a curse of tongues will slow a spell caster down, making it difficult for them to cast spells. The like."  
"Interesting. You weren't going to tell me about them?"  
"You just wanted to know how to learn fel magic. Curses are warlock's tricks, not demons."  
"And you know how to do curses?"  
"Of course… mostly."  
"Great. Then the bet is as follows: If I can't do it, I have to listen to and obey you for ten days. If I can, you have to kiss and make up and teach me a few curses." Vague extended his hand with a smile.

Hal sighed and took a great long while to consider it. But at last she walked over to him, shaking his hand and then folding her arms again. "You're just going to get hurt.." She stepped back. "Come on and burn yourself already."  
Vague extended his hand towards the remains of the Imp. He muttered something in demonic, his voice becoming slightly deeper and gravelly by the nature of the language. Green and black energy swirled into existence where the imp had once stood and pulsed as if alive, moving around and about itself. After a moment it began to pulse upwards, and flew towards Vague's hand, entering it.

This caused the mage to wince and clutch his arm at the elbow, struggling to retain control. The energy swirled around his hand and inside it, causing a blackish green glow to come from his form inside the arm. Hal stepped forward and parted her arms, but Vague thrust his free arm at her to keep her away. He grimaced and turned towards Char, who floated up to him and spread its arms.

The corrupted hand plunged into Char's chest through the exterior. Almost immediately Char turned a blackish color, as if black liquid had been dropped into a blue liquid. His 'limbs' became green and the upper art of his body turned black, fading towards the original blue as it got lower towards the fading off point. Vague yanked his hand out and stumbled backwards and fell, clutching his arm with a cry of pain. Hal rushed over to him as Bronnys snickered. The felhound trotted over to him and sniffed him like some demonic puppy and sat beside him.

Hal pressed her hand against the portion of Vague's arm the demonic energies had touched. It was slightly burned and blackened, but not too badly damaged. Vague winced at the touch but didn't push Hal away, leaning up and sitting, holding the arm out. Hal cursed softly to herself.  
"Damn it, I told you so. What did you say the felhound's name was?" She crouched beside Vague, holding his arm.   
"Jhaama.. Why?" Vague got out, groaning softly. The felhound tilted his head towards Vague with intelligent eyes, recognizing his name.  
"Jhaama!" Hal snapped. The felhound turned to her. She spoke in a swift language Vague couldn't understand. After a moment the felhound nodded and moved over the wound. He bared his teeth and suddenly inhaled, his body crouched as if he were about to attack.

"Hal!" Vague started, anger creeping into his voice. But the felhound didn't attack or bite. Instead, it continued to inhale. His arm suddenly twitched of its own accord. Bits and pieces of black energy flew out of it, and the black portions of it faded. After a moment, a black stream flew out of his arm and into the felhound's mouth, and it gulped, exhaling in a content growl. It moved off, giving Vague room.

Now his arm was only slightly burned, but that would heal in time. He groaned and pulled himself to his feet with Hal's help. She let go of his arm and rolled her eyes.

"I told you. The corruption was too much to contain or transfer like you would normal energies. Fel energies automatically harm those not made of it. You -knew- this. Why did you try to do it anyways?" She snipped.

"Tried? I succeeded." Vague grinned and stood upright again, shaking his arm. "Take a look." Hal turned and looked towards Char, taking in the new appearance of it. She frowned thinly.

"New color scheme. And..?"  
"Char, why don't you… hm. What can an Imp do, anyways? You never told me that."  
Hal groaned in utter exasperation and slapped her forehead. "That'll be tonight's lesson, then. After shadow bolts, anyways."  
"And after the curses." Bronnys chipped in.

"What are you talking about?" Hal asked, growing incredibly annoyed with the succubus.

"You lost." Bronnys replied with a grin, enjoying Hal's discomfort and irritance.

"That's true." Vague replied. "I did, in fact, succeed in doing transferring the imp's essence into the Voidwalker. I won." Hal stared at him for a long moment, her expression barely and then not at all concealing her irritated rage. She gritted her teeth and said nothing.

"Well, you don't need to apologize -right away-, but yeah." Vague replied, looking away from Hal's angered expression. "And you-" He spoke to the succubus now. "need to stop trying to piss her off. Whether you like it or not, she's higher on the totem pole of servitude then you are, and you're just as killable as Valoo was." Bronnys scowled but made no further indication of being sorry for her actions.

"Anyways. If we're all done here, I'm going to grab my stuff and we can start on the trek to town." Vague muttered and turned, walking back towards and into his cabin.

"Wow. He's a little angry." Bronnys commented.

"Will you please stop talking." Hal muttered.

"Are you kidding me?" Hal whirled around towards the smirking succubus. "You forget, I can smell and feel your taint. And it's low. It took most of your power to blow away an imp. You're hardly even a dread lady. You're a weakling. You can't force me to shut up no more then you could force Vague to do anything. I'm willing to bet you don't have the power to do half the things you'll be teaching him." Bronnys grinned. "I could kick your ass in a straight out fight and you know it. So don't think Vague telling me off about you or him thinking you're so great stops me from knowing the truth." With that the succubus walked over to the felhound and crouched, stroking it's back. It laid down and make a satisfied rumbling sound. Hal watched with an infuriated expression.

"I will so kick your ass when Vague teaches me some of his arcane magicks." She muttered under her breath. "You'll see. You'll all see…"

"Hey, whispering to herself girl!" Bronnys called out.

"What!" Hal turned towards Bronnys, irritated beyond her limits.

"Come here."

Hal scrunched up her nose and muttered, walking over to the succubus.   
"I may be a bitch, but I also like to see a good show. So you know what? I'm gonna blackmail you. If you don't apologize to Vague as soon as he comes out, I'm going to tell him how weak you really are. See how much respect and equality he gives you after that." She smirked.

Knuckles became white as the dread lady's fist tightened to a death grip. She exhaled through gritted teeth and turned away. "Fine."

Vague walked out of the cabin, carrying two bags. One of them he tossed towards the Voidwalker, who promptly went down under the unexpected impact, and the other he chucked towards Bronnys, who caught the bag in her hands after seeing Char go down. "Ugh! Why do **I** have to do this? Jhaama's a felhound! He's practically a mule for carrying stuff."

"Because I saw you telling off Hal and while I don't care for the details, you're going to get punished. I could just send you back whence you came."

"That's not a threat."  
"Probably not. Then again, I could mess up the return spell and end up sending you to someplace between dimensions to rot for all eternity until called upon again." Bronnys paled. "And that -is- a threat. So learn your place." Vague smiled amicably and turned towards Hal. "You ready?"  
"Yeah." Hal replied, rubbing one of her elbows. "Look, about earlier.." She began.  
"Wow, apologizing already? I thought I'd have to wait until tonight for you to apologize." Vague raised his eyebrows.

"Just shut up and let me do it." Hal exhaled through clenched teeth, her expression twisted in a mixture of disgust and irritance. There was little to discern genuine regret from her features. "I'm sorry for thinking you were not capable."  
His hand rubbed his chin for a point as he watched her. "You don't seem very sincere. Are you just trying to force it out now so you won't have to apologize when you feel genuinely bad about it?"  
"No!" Hal cried with a surprised look on her face. "Don't assume that of me."  
"You -are- a dread lady." Vague remarked, looking off into the distance over the trees. "While I'd love to humanize you all and treat you like equals, I'm not going to just forget that if I wasn't binding you, you'd kill me in a flash."  
Bronnys chuckled dangerously. The other two summons didn't seem to care or understand, looking around and inspecting the area.  
"I've also saved your life." snapped Hal. "I deserve a little more trust then that."  
Hal's words caused Vague to pause, and he tensed his jaw slightly, looking at the ground. After a moment he relaxed and sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Bindings or no bindings, you didn't -have- to nurse me back to health like that. I'm sorry. You do deserve more respect then that."

Hal exhaled softly and smiled. Bronnys spit to the side, making a disgusted sound. "Thank you, Vague. Do you believe I am sincere in my apology, then?" She asked at a slightly softer level, her sharp eyebrows relaxing and turning upwards quietly, most of the irritance and disgust gone from her face.

The mage quietly shrugged and walked past Hal. "Sure. I accept it. You're forgiven."  
"Hey!" snapped Bronnys. "She has to kiss and make up. She's only made up!" She smirked dangerously towards Hal, whose expression barely concealed a sudden rage towards the succubus.  
"She doesn't have to do _that_, Bronnys. The expression only refers to the whole apology and forgiveness proc- eh?" Vague was cut short as Hal grabbed him by the arm. He looked back towards her just in time to see her leaning in towards him. His first reaction was to jerk, but Hal's grip was too strong for him. He could do nothing but be confused and dumbfounded when Hal's lips pressed into his own.

The kiss only lasted for a second, and Hal pulled away nearly immediately, letting go and glaring daggers at the succubus, who merely and neatly grinned her sadistic grin.  
"Er… Hal?" Vague said slowly, in a stunned daze. "While I am.. Appreciative.. Of that.. I was just telling you why you didn't have to." He hadn't moved from the spot, still looking towards her. But then, he hadn't wiped his lips, either.

Hal rolled her eyes and resumed her disdainful expression. "It was just to shut the succubitch up. Don't interpret it as anything more."

"Er.. Interesting way of shutting her up. I suppose as a sexual vampire she -would- enjoy that, wouldn't you?" He directed the question towards Bronnys, who merely grinned and shrugged. She lifted the pack she had been thrown up and held it on her back.

"Can we just get moving? The less I have to play pack mule the better." She said snippily. Hal allowed herself a tiny grin.

"Right, right. Char, Jhaama!" He called out. The two turned their heads towards him. He gestured. "C'mon! We're going."  
The sun passed over their heads and began its slow descent towards the horizon as they walked. Hal said nothing more on her own, though she walked besides Vague, and Bronnys merely stayed behind Hal and Vague. The Voidwalker traveled behind them all with a slow drift that sped up when he got too far behind, and Jhaama, the only unburdened summon, ran about the forest around the troop. Every so often a shriek or roar would sound and the sounds of vicious bestial fighting would trail off as they walked, and Jhaama would return.

The attacking of animals of the forest didn't bother Vague too much. After the first such occurrence, he took the time to explain the geography to Hal and Bronnys. They were in the forests of Darkshore, which was set below the ridges of Felwood and extended to the shores. The entire area was the upper most northwest passage of land for the continent, Kalimdor. Darkshore's animals were violent and tended to attack passerby; so Jhaama's attacks upon them were simply protecting Vague from the animals that would attack him on sight.

Darkshore was also Night Elf territory. The mere word "Night Elf" caused both Bronnys and Hal to scowl and show general displeasure, though Vague knew not why specifically. Night Elves were reclusive, rather secretive race of graceful, nature-loving warriors. They were blue to purple skinned and much taller then humans, with the woman usually over six feet and the men usually averaging seven. Their hair was often nature-colored as well, though purple wasn't too uncommon, either. Their eyes always glowed, often a color from yellow to light blue.  
The women were usually warriors and priestesses of their goddess, Elune, and the men were usually druids.  
And they hated arcane magic. They hated fel magic even more. None of their kind would ever be a mage or warlock. They tolerated the presence of human ones because of an alliance between their peoples. Vague had once asked a Night Elf why exactly they hated magic so much. After being berating Vague for being so stupid, the Night Elf had told him.

Long ago, parts of their society had discovered and practiced arcane magic. Those who used it became elitists, high ranking members called Kaldorei. But the use of it had caused demons to become interested in their world, and because of this, their world had been invaded. The Kaldorei and demons were beaten back, and the Kaldorei's city was sunken below the ocean. Those who survived sailed off, becoming the High Elves the humans had known for so long.

Their skin had turned light, their hair bright, and they had become of human size and general stature.

And thus, the Night Elves had realized the corruption of all arcane magic. Fel magic was demonic magic, which was even worse. So it was taboo in their culture to use it or practice it. Those who did try were cast out or killed.

They also very obviously did not like demons. As the sun began to set and Vague's lessons on the geography and Night Elves finished, they managed to find a clearing in which to settle. It was suited upon a cliff which jutted out to sandy shores below. Auberdine, the small port-town for Darkshore, could be seen in an hour's walking distance along the shore.

Vague had Bronnys and Char set up camp for him. Bronnys complained and was ignored, and Vague walked to the cliff edge quietly to peer out at the waters below. Hal joined him after a moment.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Vague remarked, gesturing with his hand out at the water. "Clear, unpolluted water, far as the eye can see. There's a benefit to staying around in nature-lover territory."  
"I guess it is. I'm used to seas of flame and shadow." Hal replied. Vague looked at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled.

"Water must be pretty new to you." He remarked.  
"Sort of."  
"Would you like to experience rain?"  
Hal jolted and looked at him. "A rain of fire? What did I do?"  
"No, just.. Rain. Falling water. Our rain."  
"Oh. You can do that? That's impressive."  
"Actually, it's going to rain soon anyways. It was rhetorical." Vague smiled at her. Hal groaned and shook her head. "It'll be a good experience for you. We can do some of the lesson out here. What should we cover tonight?"  
"Well.. We should cover spells first, I think. Shadowbolt sound okay?"  
"Only shadow bolt?"  
"Well, it's a rather difficult maneuver. It's a warlocks primary method of direct damage to a foe, as compared to a curse's slow damage over time. It works much like a fireball would, only it's different." Hal turned towards Bronnys. "Succubitch! Take Jhaama and bring back a bear if you can! Alive!" Vague jerked in surprise.

"Hal?" Vague questioned slowly.  
"Well, you need something to practice curses on, at least." Hal shrugged. "What?"  
"Seems inhumane." Vague muttered. Bronnys hadn't moved yet. "Do what she said!" He yelled at her. She groaned and got up, and Jhaama followed her into the forest as she unfolded a whip from midair.  
"Your entire travel party is made of demons and you're worried about being inhumane to a bear? It'd just attack you anyways. Don't be so conscience-confused." Hal smirked.  
"Just teach me how to do a shadow bolt." Vague muttered.  
"Well, a shadow bolt is essentially an instantaneous burst of energy, made entirely of fel and shadow energy. The majority of it you'll pull from your own energy, which, separated from yourself, is easily corrupted in whole by a small part of corruption, and thus you can form shadow bolts using only your energy and some fel corruption. Likewise…" Hal continued.  
It took twenty minutes before Bronnys and Jhaama returned, with Jhaama dragging easily behind him a bear that would take two bulls to carry. Bronnys stood atop the bear, her whip wrapped around it and binding it. She hopped off it, her whip remaining around it, and gestured at the bear. Jhaama dropped the bear and growled, then walked off to the camp, Bronnys following him.

Vague looked up at the dark, cloudy sky. In the distance above them, one of his shadow bolts was flying up and dissipating after a certain distance. "Why does it keep doing that?"  
"Same reason your fireballs or ice bolts can't survive long distance. The burst of energy that does so much damage used instantaneously like you use them, doesn't hold together over a long distance." Hal remarked, sitting at the edge of cliff. She got up and brushed the back of her pants off. "Ah, they brought back the bear. Come." She walked over to the bound animal, who growled and snarled at them.

It was relatively unharmed, with cuts where the whip had dug into its skin, and was prevented from moving due to its paws all being sliced off. Vague winced at the sight and shook his head. Hal noticed his reaction and smirked. "What are you so turned off about? You were just going to give it a slow death anyways. That's what curses do."  
"It's.. it's hard to explain, I guess. Even dealing with demons is a bit different then being inhumane." Vague shrugged and frowned at the sight.

"Whatever. Anyways, a curse is simple in concept but complex to carry out. You recite an incantation in tongues, and cast a spell of marking. The marking with carry the curse, which is in the incantation, and afflict it upon the target. Thankfully, there's no chance of misfire, as the incantation is designed to work with the spell. If you don't denote a target, it doesn't work." Hal said, falling back into her comfortable, explaining voice that carried a small bit of superiority pride in it. She brushed her red hair back over her ears. Hal continued.

"You can, in essence, create a curse out of nearly anything if you know the demonic language, but there's a certain number of curses that always have the intended effect. The difference between casting a prepared fireball and merely throwing fire at someone, in other words. Likewise, to do it instantly despite an incantation being included in the spell, simply think the incantation."  
Vague nodded during this and folded his arms as he listened. The clouds darkened, and Bronnys started a fire in the camp. Char put stakes around for a larger tent around the campfire in preperation for the rain.

"The first basic one is a curse of weakness. It, like all curses, is instantaneous done properly. It saps the target's strength, not to an extreme degree, but enough that their blows are certainly less damaging."   
"And how do I know if it works with the bear?" Vague questioned.

"It'll be obvious. The bear will pale. It's just an animal, so its strength is easily sapped. The incantation.." Hal paused. "_Fayghax yo linca ibuh cha!" _She said roughly. "Do you know how to do a spell of marking in tandem with an incantation?"  
"Sort of. I'm sure I'll pick it up." Vague cleared his throat and pointed his hand at the bear. His eyebrows furrowed. A puff of smoke appeared to hit the bear, and it growled angrily. It did not pale. Vague grimaced and furrowed his brow again, thrusting his arm out again. Once more a puff of smoke seemed to "hit" the bear, like it was full of dust and someone was punching it. It snarled in a vicious rage.

Vague thrust his arm out yet -again- and was finally rewarded when a green essence seemed to appear from nowhere and sink into the bear, turning it a slight gray color. The bear groaned and was quieted instantly, falling to the ground and rawring weakly. Vague smiled. "Neat."  
Hal too, smiled, but hid it. "Yes. You picked up on it quickly enough. It only took you three tries to realize you can channel it like a normal spell instead of focusing on the incantation so much."  
"You didn't just tell me?"  
"You wouldn't be learning if I just told you how."  
Vague shrugged. "Well, that was easy. Tell me another."  
"I'll tell you one more for tonight. The curse of agony. It's what will kill the bear."  
"Agony? That sounds.."  
"Painful? It is. It's the basic damaging curse. It will sap the target's life essence, and not too gently. It'll grow stronger over time until the mark fades, which on average is.." She paused and looked up, pursing her lips.  
"About thirty seconds." finished Vague.

"Yeah. You'd know why that is more then me."  
"Interesting." Vague murmured. "So the incantation for a curse of agony?"  
"Yalxon yo linca ibuh cha."

"But.. That's the same as a curse of weakness. Except for one work."  
"Indeed it is. As I said, the more you know of curses, the more potential ones you could make. All that matters is what the curse is to be." Hal turned to the bear. "Your curse of agony won't kill the bear, and I know how bad you feel about causing unneeded suffering. So, on three, we'll both do it. The combined effect will kill it before the mark runs out. Ready?"  
Vague was startled but nodded. Hal counted, and on three they both thrust their arms out at the bear. Two streams of red energy slunk into the bear, and it began to roar, gnarling and thrashing, the gray vanishing from it. It thrashed free of the whip, tumbling around and somehow got up on the four stumps of limbs, charging straight for the two. Blood exploded from its body before it even got halfway there, and it collapsed, the red energy steaming out of it.

Vague stared in shock. No one had stopped the bear or interfered, and he knew not why what had just happened. "What in the hell?"  
"Ick.. Messy." Hal muttered. "It's a curse of agony. It causes agonizing demise. What did you think?" Vague stared at her for a moment. "It's not a clean death like your fireball or ice bolts or whatever. This is warlock stuff." Vague slowly exhaled and frowned, looking at the corpse of the bear. Jhaama trotted out to the bear and grabbed it with its teeth, dragging it towards the campfire. Vague turned away.

"Yeck.." Vague muttered. "Disgusting. Looks like we're having corrupted bear for dinner tonight."  
"So it would seem. Well, there goes curse practice. Let's continue practicing your Shadowbolt."  
The smell of burning bear and delicious food filled the campsite as the moon shone on the horizon behind the rain clouds, drifting up towards the midnight sky. Vague continued to practice his Shadowbolt until it was a sharp lance of black energy piercing the already darkened night sky and Hal was fully satisfied with his progress. It began to rain, and Hal retired to the large tent to eat. Vague chose not to, and remained outside, sitting on the edge of the cliff.

It was only a short while later when Hal walked back out of the tent and blinked up at the sky as rain drops fell upon her, brushing off her legs. She walked over to and sat down besides Vague, her feet tapping the cliff edge.  
"This is an odd sensation." She remarked quietly.  
Vague looked over at her and up at the sky. He was soaked, and water dripped out of his clothes. "It is, isn't it? It's kind of nice. Very good for the planet, too, and all." He yawned quietly. "Why aren't you inside? I thought a demon, er, dread lady," he corrected himself, "Would be a bit adverse to rain and water."  
"Demons generally tend to have a preference for fire, yes. But we dread lords are more leaning towards the fel arts, subtle tricks and manipulations." She placed her hands on the grass and leaned back, leaning on her arms.

"And you're one of the big three, aren't you?"  
"Big three?" Hal remarked with a trace of amusement.  
"Dreadlords, Eredar, and Pit Lords."  
"Well, yes. The Eredar are our spell casters. Even the weakest ones are as strong as a powerful human mage." She smirked slightly. "Archimonde was one of the very strongest we had."

"And Pit lords?"  
Hal shuddered. "I'd rather not talk of pit lords. Carnage incarnate is all I'll say. Speaking of which, would you like to know the abilities of your summons?" She smiled at him through the rain, her red hair clinging to her face about her green eyes.

Vague chuckled. "Ah, right! The lessons. Information. I had forgotten. Please, do." He raised his hand out, letting rain pat against it.

The dread lady nodded and looked up at the sky, her body position to allow the most rain drops to patter against her form. She clearly enjoyed the sensations. "The Imp is capable of fire shields, which are usually invisible but damage anyone who attacks you, and firebolt, which is a weakened version of your fireball. He also grants his allies a sort of.. I'm not sure -what- it is, but a sort of boost in energy, an increase in stamina. They call it a blood pact. I've never really gotten into the details, so.." She shrugged slightly.

She continued as the moon grew closer to its midnight arch. The Voidwalker was essentially a proverbial tank that tormented enemies and forced them to attack it alone, the Succubus had, predictably, the ability to seduce and sooth as well as some limited invisibility, and the felhound could devour magical effects and could destroy weak casters. When she was done with her lesson, she laid back in the grass and yawned. Vague did as well and muttered, getting up.   
"Thanks for the lesson, Hal. I'm going to bed now."  
Hal perked up and pushed herself up. "Mm. Your human need for sleep is ridiculous."  
"Probably, but there's not much I can do about it." Vague wiped his face off of rain and walked towards his tent, raising his arm towards her. After a moment Hal sighed and walked over to her own tent. The summons got to stay in the center tent; they didn't have a problem with it except for Bronnys, but she was ignored.  
Hal poked her head into Vague's hut; he had just finished changing out of his soaked clothes and was only wearing pants. "Vague?"  
"Harm?" Vague turned towards her curiously, rubbing his black hair.

"I don't have anything to do, and I don't need to sleep yet."  
Vague paused. "That's not really my problem.. But.." He walked over to one of his bags and rummaged through it, pulling out a spell book. "Try this out for some reading. It's my old spell book. Covers most of the lower level arcane spells. Try them out if you want, just not on the tents." He grinned and fell into his bed, arms locked behind his head.

"..thanks, Vague."  
"Mum. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Hal." Hal was already gone.

Bronnys rocked on her rear between the rumbling void walker's odd method of rest, and the felhound's bestial snoozing, muttering herself to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Vague walked out of his tent, clad in his robes and wearing a pointed hat, earning a few snickers from Bronnys, who was helping Char pack up the campsite. Jhaama was lounging at the cliff edge. He looked around at everyone and stretched out, looking at the morning sky. It was still grey, and he knew it was likely to rain again soon.

"Right! Good morning to you all, too. Where's Hal, Bronnys?"  
"In her tent." Bronnys smirked for some reason.  
Vague rose his eyebrows and walked over to Hal's tent. He grabbed one edge of the 'door' and flapped it a bit. "Hal?" He called out.

"What?" came from inside.

"It's morning. We're getting ready to go. And hello to you too."  
A moment passed before Hal pushed out of the tent, forcing Vague to step back. Her eyes looked slightly tired but she didn't seem physically worse for the wear. She clutched Vague's book in her arms. "Sorry. I was reading." She held up his book.

"I can see that. Char, can you take her tent down, please?" Vague gestured. Char rumbled and got to work. "Thanks."  
"Why do you bother saying please or thanks? They are bound to your word."  
"If they like me, then if they break free they'll maim me less." Vague grinned. "How much did you learn?"  
"Oh, lots. Your emphasis on fire and ice spells is strange, though." Hal shrugged. "I especially liked your theories on the basics of magicks and how you can essentially replace the elements in any spell, or apply spells to other spells to get mixed effects. They were very daring. I also liked how you managed to somehow script out a rain of fire -and- ice using Diaspora's Theorem of Unlimited Elements. That was a good read. And-" She was cut off by Vague grabbing the hat off his head, putting it on Hal's head and patting her on the back. She stared at him as he turned and walked back into his tent, reaching up and fixing the hat on her head.

Vague walked back out of his tent with his back, holding one of them. He only smiled towards a still confused and dumbfounded Hal, and turned to Bronnys. "You don't have to carry anything today. I think you've had enough 'punishment.' I still don't want to hear any complaints. Alright? Help Char take down my tent so we can get going." Bronnys muttered but got to work, her bat wings lightly beating the air.

"How are you going to hide them?"  
"Hide them? I don't need to. Warlocks are looked down upon like none other, but they won't kick me out. They'll just not like me too much."  
"Someone's going to question why you have three summons."  
"Four." corrected.  
Hal blinked.

"There's yourself, and I'm not going to go around saying I have a dread lady bound to me. Although…" Vague paused, stepping in front of Hal, his eyes moving over her body. Hal paused, not sure of what the proper reaction was. "Actually, you look like a warlock in that outfit, and you have the abilities of one.. You could pass for human, explaining your demon taint with the fact you're a warlock." He smiled and looked towards Auberdine. "Come on, let's go."  
It only took an hour to reach Auberdine. Vague had Char, Bronnys and Jhaama set up a small camp outside of town while he and Hal went into it. The Night Elves stayed away from them but didn't give them any trouble, and the ones Vague spoke to were friendly enough, if stand-off is with Hal. Hal was surprised by the effect Vague's amiable personality had. Despite his claim of their misgivings, most of the Night Elves he spoke to were friendly back towards them when he was friendly to them.

They bought clothes- particularly for Hal, so she could have a more open range of attire, and Vague bought Hal a trinket of some sort- an amulet made of Elunite, a metal found and forged by the Night Elves. It began to rain again after noon, and Vague didn't seem to have any sort of set plan in mind for the visit, which began to bother Hal at first. But after a while, she began to enjoy herself and Vague's company. When the sun was half-way through its waning, Vague went into a tavern and bid Hal follow.

It was clean, wooden and not too noisy yet. The rain made the day seem older and darker then it was, but not many people were perusing the drinks yet. Vague walked up to the counter and took a drink of fizz brew, a goblin ale, from an old bartender who served it up, demanding a few coin for it. Vague paid up without a problem, but Hal noticed his money pouch was nearly empty.

Vague sat down in a corner and bid Hal do the same, and they talked for a short while. Hal tried to ask what they were waiting for, but Vague would only shake his head and press his finger to his lips in a quieting motion whenever she asked.

After an hour, a hooded figure walked into the tavern, wearing red robes. It pulled the hood down, revealing an old, wizened and dangerous-looking night elf with white hair. The other tavern-goers quieted at his presence, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes fell upon Vague, and he walked towards the two with swift, great strides. He sat down beside them without asking, and placed his hands on the table, folding them together.

"Hello, Vague."  
Vague nodded. "Zal'Torion Nightrage." He said respectfully.

"Introduce me to your partner. You didn't have one last I saw you." Zal'Torion smiled and parted his hands.

Hal reached up and pulled her hat off, feeling somewhat awkward with it on all of the sudden, and placed it beside her. "I am Hal'-" She cut herself off, cleared her throat, and resumed, "Hal Stormwyrm." Zal raised his eyebrows.

"You have a strong family name." He remarked quietly, and looked towards Vague. "How did you meet her?"  
"Doing what you asked of me." Vague replied calmly.

"Aaah." The night elf smiled and looked towards Hal. "Very clever."  
"I'm not sure what you mean." Hal remarked with a confused expression.  
"I know what you are. I am Vague's supplier." Zal remarked quietly, folding his hands together again. "Very well done indeed, Vague. I didn't think you would survive, but you not only came to your senses and didn't summon Bal, but you summoned a weaker one you could bind to you. Very clever indeed."  
Hal paled. Vague showed no signs of distress, although he did shift uncomfortably, but nodded. "Thank you. And, of course.." He reached within his robes and pulled out a book of strange markings. Hal immediately recognized it as one of the items he had carried out of the Kaldorei ruins and nearly died for. "Your payment."  
"Ah!" Zal's eyes glowed brightly and a smile lit his face. "Excellent, excellent." He crooned, reaching out and pulling the book towards him, running his hands over it. He looked about the room once over and then slid the book into his robes. "Very well done, Vague. You will do nicely." He smiled. "You will prove to be a very powerful member of our society indeed if you stay so level-headed and successful."

"Thank you, Nightrage." Vague allowed himself a small grin now and relaxed.

"Mm."  
"Um?" Hal cut in. "I don't mean to be rude, but I have no idea what just transpired here."  
"Ah! Right, right." Vague murmured. "Hal, Zal is my mentor. Yes, just mentor. Make no mention of our profession here if you can help it, just use general terms." He grinned. "Zal would be killed if someone overheard us."  
"A night elf..?" Hal questioned.

Zal spread his fingers. "I am thousands and thousands of years old. In the recent years there's been a small sect of us who felt hindered by our society's.. restrictions. But with the High Elves nearly all wiped out and most of the remainder joining the Blood Elves.." He shrugged slowly. "I have delved into our profession and mastered it easily. When Vague came along, he brought fresh blood and new ideas. So I made him a deal; I'd give him the blood he needed as a sign of good faith, and if he succeeded he needed to bring back something of equal value."  
"Which I've done. And Zal, Hal is.." He paused, reciting "Zal, Hal, Zal" for a moment in amusement before continuing. "Out of date, to use a human term." He turned to Hal. "The High Elves were wiped out by the Scourge. I'm sure you know about -that-. Those who survived have become Blood Elves for the most part, turning to demonic energies.. Much like I am, only more foolishly and with abandon and no wisdom." He scowled.

Zal nodded slowly. 'Indeed. They were fools thousands of years ago and they remain fools now." He shrugged his shoulders. "But enough talk of this. You did what you did to further yourself faster then normal. Has it succeeded?" He questioned languidly.

"Hal has been teaching me." Vague responded. Zal turned his eyes towards Hal, and they eased into a friendly smile.

"I see. And she was wearing your hat. You are teaching her in turn?" He guessed.

"..yeah." Vague murmured.

"Be wary, Vague. You remember what happened last time." Zal said softly. Vague nodded quietly.  
"Last time..?" Hal murmured.

"I will not speak of it now." Vague said. "And do not wish to, so do not press me. But come, we are in a tavern. Let us drink."  
"Alas, I cannot." Zal murmured. "I must return to my- our, soon to be, Vague, sect. I'm sure you are guaranteed entrance with this feat." He smiled and nodded, standing up. "I bid you both good day. And Vague.." Vague smiled up towards Zal.

"Aye?"

"Nice catch." Zal said with an amused chuckle and a twinkle in his glowing, wizened eyes. He pulled up his hood and walked out of the tavern.

"Nice.. Catch?" Hal questioned. "Why did he give you a fishing reference?"

"Er.. Don't mind it." Vague rubbed the back of his head, looking uncomfortable and embarrassed.

"Okay. Then what the heck is he? I thought- no, I -know- that wizened old night elves are _druids._"

"Oh, he was. His sect is comprised of older members of the Night Elves who feel disillusioned or aren't quite in sync with their society's laws. They're not evil, not at all."  
"But they practice-"  
"Yes, they do." Vague cut her off. "But most of all warlocks go into their profession with good hearts and intentions. Most of them give into corruption some point down the line. Zal's sect is uncorrupted. They are, for the most part, wise old men who just happen to practice something in secret for the betterment of their society. It's the opposite of the Dark Sect, which does it just for power."  
Hal fell silent, her questions still rising but it was clear from Vague's expression he would not talk more on the matter. They sat together quietly for a while, when Hal rose. "I wish to buy a drink. Do you have money?" Vague's expression pained slightly and he threw a few coins towards her, which she caught. "Thanks."  
Vague checked his pouch. He was near broke now. He sighed. He should have asked Zal for money. He folded his arms quietly as Hal walked up to the bartender with the coins and tried to ask for a drink awkwardly.

Someone sat down across from him. He looked up immediately to see who it was and was startled to see an attractive human female sitting across from him, her hands clasped together forming an arch, upon which she rested the lower end of her chin. Her hair was a deep navy blue, matching her eyes, and fell in a straight, flat structure around her face. She wore robes like his own, except slimmer and pitch black in color, all of them. She had a youthful aura and devil lips. She smiled in amusement, as if she knew something he did not and wanted him to know it. He frowned and rested his elbows on the table.

"Can I.. help you?" He inquired curiously, his eyebrows raising. He glanced towards Hal. Preoccupied with the bartender and having trouble ordering, she was oblivious.

"Actually, you can, Vague. I saw your transaction just now."  
Vague's eyes widened in alarm and he gripped the table tightly. "How-?"  
"I know who you are and what you are, yes. I know of your relation to that old fart's sect and of your failed relation to Dalaran. I know most everything I need to know." The woman spoke softly, but with a powerful authority.

"I am a high-ranking member of the Dark Sect. We've been watching Zal's little group for some time now, preparing to assimilate or destroy it. However, recent.. events.. have begun to transpire against them." Vague's alarmed expression settled into a tense, curious and angry one.

"But how could you-"  
"Don't ask me that. You don't need to know. What you do need to know is we had our eye on you the moment you came into our view. And we'd like to.. Extend.. An offer of invitation to you. Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to force a silly ultimatum on you so soon. But that silly Nightrage's group is going to be destroyed, and soon. Keep your distance from it if you wish to avoid infamy." She smirked.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't just alert the authorities to your presence here." Vague muttered through gritted teeth. The woman almost seemed amused.

"Because I'm not actually here. This is an illusion. I'm actually outside in the alleyway." She extended her hand to Vague. Vague moved his hand to hers- and through it. He frowned and rested his hands on the table.

"Clever. If someone gets violent, you dispel the illusion and they look like a fool." He murmured.

"Why, thank you! How insightful of you. Like Zal said, you'll go places. I just wonder if you'll go the places he thought you would." She smiled. "Talk with me more outside. What I wish to say is not meant for prying ears." She got up and wiggled her fingers at him in a wave, walking out of the tavern.

Hal walked up to Vague, carrying two mugs of different liquids. One of them frothed, and the other bubbled. "They had no idea what I was trying to order so eventually they just gave me the two closest things for free to shut me up." She chuckled. "Would you like one-" Vague got up, shaking his head.

"Stay here. Get drunk or whatever. Just stay here." He muttered, walking out the door. Hal stared after him for a moment, sitting down in confusion and rubbing the back of her head.

"That's.. weird." She lifted one of the mugs and sniffed it, wrinkling her nose, but took a long drought of it. She relaxed near immediately and held it with both hands, sighing.

Vague looked around him as he stood outside in the rain, his eyes squinting. He walked briskly to the right and around the side of the tavern to the gap between it and the next building over, which was conveniently, the inn. And there, leaning against the wall, holding a small black umbrella over her head, was the woman, an exact duplicate of herself in front of her, the rain passing through it.

She looked up, her deep navy blue eyes blinking once, and ceasing the ethereal glow that had been surrounding them. The illusion of herself faded. "Ah, Vague! We meet in person. You are all the more handsome in person and mildly wet. Come, get under the umbrella." She twisted the handle slightly, and the umbrella's reach extended. "Ah, goblin ingenuity. Will it never cease?"

Vague slowly stepped inside the umbrella, standing before the woman. She was an inch shorter then he was, and looked up mildly at him. His face was unreadable, but his eyes, blue-green and dark with his bated anger, stared at the woman like small fires. "I will not join your dark sect. Coming here alone I killed many of your members."  
The woman laughed softly. "Oh, I know. It's one of the clauses we have. If you get killed, then you didn't deserve to be with us. So all those dark sect members you killed? Psh." She made a brushing motion with her hand. "You were just mopping up the weaklings for us."

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?"  
The woman smiled, and for a moment her eyes glowed silver. "It's my job to have an answer for everything." Vague was somewhat thrown off by the glare of silver, looking down at her.

"And your name?"  
"Oh! Good one. I call myself Zei. You may call me Z if you wish."  
"What is a high ranking member of the Dark Sect doing in a Night Elf town where it's highly likely she'll be spotted?" Vague questioned, folding his arms. Zei chuckled lightly.

"Highly likely? Don't make me laugh. Those Night Elves take their ability to sniff out arcane and fel magicks for granted. I can just mask my aura. They can't even tell the difference between me and a normal warlock anyways." One of her eyebrows rose slightly. "For all the night elves who just saw us, we're just two warlocks having a nice chat."  
One hand moved to his forehead and rubbed slightly, the elbow resting on the palm of the other hand. "You called me out here. What is it you want? You obviously have the experience and knowledge advantage over me." Vague muttered.

"Oh, I just wanted to get you away from your partner warlock. She's not someone we know about yet, and I don't like wild cards." Zei smiled again and leaned back against the wall, subtly twisting the umbrella. Vague was forced to step closer to avoid the rain, although his eyes brimmed with intrigued amusement. They didn't seem to know Hal's true nature yet.

"Well, here you have me." Vague's eyebrows shifted downwards. "Alone in a dark and rainy alley. Seems the perfect set up for a murder, but you could have killed me long before now if you wanted me dead. So I'll ask you again. What do you want from me?"  
Zei's navy blue eyes seemed to smile, though her devil lips only smirked. "I'll lay my cards out on the table for you, Vague. I want you in the sect because of your experiences with Dalaran and your incredible potential for our.. Profession. What I want from you right now?" She suddenly reached forward, one of her hands slipping inside his robes and grasping the edge, bringing him forward with surprising strength.  
Vague suddenly found her face filling up his own as she kissed him, nearly burning his lips with a surprising amount of passion. Her tongue wrestled into his mouth and played with his, and then she pulled away, leaving him in shock. Two unexpected kisses in two days. He wondered when his luck would end.

She didn't pull away yet, her lips near his ear. "Your summons are about to be attacked by a band of Satyrs. They can defeat them on their own, but.." She whispered.

She paused and Vague waited, his surprised look fading. That didn't stop him from enjoying the next kiss she sunk into his lips, this time going to his other ear when she pulled away, speaking softly. "Their leader is using the attack to ambush them from behind, and your three little pets will die."  
Zei's lips pulled into a smirk and she once more kissed his lips, her free hand sliding up his chest.

She tilted her face far away enough Vague could look into her eyes, and seeing the amused enjoyment and worry creeping into his expression seemed to give her some sort of strange thrill. "I'm just doing that to make the whispering less suspicious." She admitted softly, so close to Vague it would be difficult in the rain to tell the two were not lovers. "Our Dark Sect is aligned with them, and I wasn't supposed to give you that information. They are watching."

"I have to go to them." Vague remarked with growing concern in his eyes. "But it'll take at least.. When will they be attacked?"

"Half an hour. Move quickly." She grinned, and as Vague turned to go, pulled him back towards her. Vague only resisted a little when she kissed him again, allowing himself to enjoy it. He kissed her back, and Zei was grinning when she pulled away that time. "That was just for me." She admitted. "Go!"  
Vague quickly extracted himself from her hands and moved off back towards the tavern.

Zei watched him head back into the tavern and chuckled lightly, twirling the umbrella around her head for a moment. She touched her lips and blew a kiss in the air, twirling round on one foot, her eyes and lips settling back into a pleased, pleasured smirk. "Manipulation is such fun." She murmured softly. She turned to walk down the alleyway, but turned to allow herself a quiet, longing glance towards the tavern doors. Then she was gone in the rain.

Vague grasped Hal by the arm and pulled her up. She had finished off both drinks and was a little wobbly on her feet. He was forced to wonder just how fast she had drunken both drinks to finish them off in the short time he had been gone. A single motion of his hand silenced her questions, and he pulled outside into the rain.  
Hal quickly put the hat back on her head to shield her face from the rain. Vague gestured towards the camp, and the two broke out into a run back towards the campsite, Vague explaining the imminent attack on the way.

"What? How do you know?" Hal questioned as they ran, her stamina seemingly unlimited.

Vague panted softly as he ran but managed to answer. "A little blue bird told me. Navy blue, actually, but." He trailed off, shaking his head.

Hal was utterly confused but passed it off as Vague's explanation of being informed by someone he didn't want to tell her about. She was a little jealous but didn't let it bother her- her attention was going to be needed at the campsite.

It took them a little over half an hour to reach the campsite. The sounds of battle were quite clear through the rain and growing darkness: Screeches, growls and Bronnys laughs were easy to distinguish. Vague and Hal burst through the wet brush in a shower of water to the scene.

Char was flinging fireballs left and right, exploding in showers of fiery sparks against the fur-and-leaf covered bodies of Satyrs male and female. Two were trying to charge him with their goat horns, but every time they did, Char would knock them backwards with a thick bracer-bound fist.

Two more were protecting a spell caster of some sort from Bronnys, who was making fools of them with her whip. She had a number of scratches on her, however, and four corpses of Satyrs laid on the ground behind her.

Vague took in the scene as quickly as he could, but he could do nothing fast enough as the spell caster Satyr, with purple fur and leaves, suddenly hurled a mighty fireball at Bronnys.

It never got there. In midair it shattered into red shards and turned to dust, flying backwards and through the spell caster, pelting him with his own spell. It wasn't enough to kill him; most of them flew past him, but he fell to his knees from the agonizing burns. Jhaama was behind him, the flames sinking into his maw. He growled and lunged.

The two protectors turned to deal with him, and were promptly removed of their uncut spinal status by Bronnys' whip.

Jhaama and Bronnys then turned on the two Satyrs attacking Char. It was over in a matter of seconds, and Vague had done nothing but catch his breath. Hal simply stood by him, her hands open and tense.

"Hah!" The succubus spit upon the bodies of the satyrs. Their blood was soaking the ground with crimson and one of them had fallen upon the fire, extinguishing it. She gave a frustrated mutter and yanked the body by the chest-fur off the fire, tossing it over to the bodies she had slain.

Char and Jhaama growled softly in their respective ways at all the bodies around them. Jhaama lunged at one of them and began to tear into it, devouring it with surprising feed and brutality. Vague cringed and turned his head away from the sight.

"And look who's finally here. A little late to the party, aren't you?" Bronnys snapped at him.  
"This wasn't the party. This was a distraction." Vague corrected. "Nice work, but be on your toes."  
"What do you mean, that wasn't the party?" groaned Bronnys.

Hal cut the succubus off. "Don't complain. You're not badly hurt. No one's dead." She jerked slightly and touched Vague on the shoulder. He looked towards her and she pointed in a direction of the forest. Vague nodded and waved his arm, gesturing in front of him to Jhaama, Bronnys and Char. The three quickly moved in front of him, even Bronnys, who fell silent at the silence of Vague.

A moment later the bushes rustled and a pair of Satyr charged from the brush, yelling and snarling and coming to a complete stop at the sight of all the summons alive and the battle already over. More satyr strode out of the bush, forming a small line behind the pair, who eyed Vague and Hal. The satyr quickly outnumbered and then were double the number of Vague's troop.

It was then a very large satyr, seven feet in height at the least, stepped out of the brush. Where all the normal satyrs fur was green or purple or red, his was a simple grey color. He held a long scythe and a set of cat claws on each hand. His eyes glowed white, and he looked at Vague quietly. Where the other satyrs had beards of some sort, save the females, he appeared to be clean shaven.

"You." He stated simply. "I see you were somehow warned of our attack." He spoke clearly in common, with a roguish but noble tone of voice. "Interesting. You must have used your new friends to do so."  
"New friends?" Hal murmured.

"Can't be referring to you guys." Vague whispered back. Aloud, he stated. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."  
The satyr seemed to smile. "Oh, come now. I know you're joining the Dark Sect. My sources are rarely wrong."  
Hal jerked and Bronnys cast her eyes back towards Vague for a moment before resuming her glare forward. Hal looked out the side of her eyes towards Vague. "Vague!"  
"It's not true." He muttered aloud. "I've no intention to join the Dark Sect. One of their members told me they wanted me in, and told me of your attack upon my companions."

The dark figure paused for a moment, and set the base of his scythe upon the ground, digging it in thoughtfully. "I was told you were joining them by a member of their number who wished to see weaklings wormed out of their group. Despite the Dark Sect being a deadly enemy of ours, we leapt upon the chance to extinguish future members. I believe the informant's name was Zei. Are you aware of her?"  
Vague paled slightly and let a small curse of irritance fall from his lips. The satyr took note. "Ah, I see our sources are one and same."  
"Vague.." Hal whispered curiously.

"Normally, I'd attack and slay you anyways, as you have affiliated with night elves, our sworn foes, and we're not exactly very well-receiving of most regardless. However, if your words are true, you may prove to be a useful ally. If you come with me, I will discuss this further with you. Or you can stay here; but then I'd advise you to leave or face assault. It is up to you."  
Vague paused. Hal whispered again. "I'd go with it. He seems trustworthy enough. He doesn't show any of those snakelike qualities a liar does."  
"I'd agree." Bronnys whispered without turning. "But then, my opinion doesn't matter."  
Vague rose his voice again. "Before I consider your request, I wish to know your name. I am Vague."  
"I am Jardon Waterstar-Rootwood." He pronounced his name very carefully, as if it had some importance. "But my name should have no impact on your decision."  
"No, but I wasn't going to go with someone who remained nameless."  
One of the satyr suddenly turned towards Jardon. "Master, we should not be allying ourselves with someone who has slain our number! He and his weak warlock companion are weak and pitiful and should be killed and-" the satyr was cut off when Jardon backhanded him, knocking him to the ground and leaving three deep groves in his chest from the cat claws Jardon wore.  
"Tight ship." Vague murmured.

"No, I just hate run-on sentences." Jardon responded sarcastically. "Even if we are bestial creatures now, we should not be forgetting our proper beginnings." He glared at the satyr who was rising, holding his chest. All argument had fled from him; he apparently remembered his place and stumbled back into his position in the line. "So what say you?"  
"Hal?" Vague murmured, turning to her. Hal was genuinely surprised to hear herself addressed, as she had been all but ignored up to now.

"I'm very, very curious, and you're going to have to explain much of this to me, but I think you should do it. An enemy of the Dark Sect and a potential ally combined is a good thing." Hal whispered.

"Er.. Satyr.." Vague muttered for a moment, gulping. "They're not exactly good people."  
"And everyone here on your side but you is a demon." She reminded him softly.

Vague exhaled and turned back to Jardon. "I'll go with you." Jardon smiled

"Good! Pack your things, then." Vague looked at the others for a moment and gestured. Char and Bronnys quickly tore down the camp and packed it up, moving behind Vague as he looked towards Jardon.  
"Come. Split up, you rootworms, and escort them. I will lead." He looked at the satyr who had disobeyed. He turned and moved through the brush. The satyrs divided into two, leaving a path wide enough for the five to follow in single file. Bronnys stepped forward first, followed by Jhaama, who sniffed and snarled at the satyr. Vague quickly followed after, side by side with Hal, and Char followed up.

The satyr moved alongside them, surrounding them. Vague tensed slightly. Jardon called back over his shoulder. "Hope you have a bit of stamina, warlocks. We're in for a walk."

The satyr and Vague's troop walked in silence for a few minutes, traveling over paths in the rain Vague couldn't even see, let alone make out through brush and plant life. The silence droned over them, and eventually he rose his voice again. "So Zei came to you and told you she wanted you to kill me off?"  
"Something like that, yes." Jardon responded simply. "She was rather disgusted and seemed quite appalled she had to even be in our presence, as if we were lesser beings. It was very tempting to slay her for her foolishness on the spot." He shrugged. "But she had valuable information and wanted nothing further then giving it to us. Of course, with her double play with you as well, it seems she instead wanted -you- to kill -us.-"

The satyr paused for a moment in sentence and thought, but continued walking without stopping, using his scythe to push aside brush that was in his way. He never destroyed or cut through a brush. The other satyr, however, shoved their way through the brush; while not actively attacking the plant life they showed total disdain for it, a contrast to Jardon's almost respectful manner of walking.

"Interesting indeed. Had you showed up too late to stop us or had you not finished the battle so quickly, the battle would have been joined and not paused and our meeting would have been one of violence, not conversation. Many of us would lay dead now if you had chosen to attack. Commendable.. And incredibly lucky." Jardon chuckled to himself.

Bronnys muttered to herself. "Just plain stupid if you ask me."  
"Shut up, Succubitch." Hal muttered.

Vague groaned softly as Jardon tilted his head to the side, not quite looking at them from the corner of his eyes. The satyr smirked slightly but said nothing.

Vague rose his hand and rubbed his wet hair, starting to get cold from the rain. He didn't want to complain of it, for he -was- wearing robes, but even the robes were starting to soak and itch. It was bothering him somewhat. He rolled his shoulders and noticed that they were starting to walk in small sand patches. He could hear the river. "How far is it? Are we headed to the shore?"

"Not quite. Other direction." Jardon replied.

"What?" Vague asked in a somewhat confused tone.

"We're heading inwards, towards the mountains. We will be camping on this side of the river, not far from the furbolg camps, and cross it tomorrow. It's a short walk from there to our hideaway." Jardon fell quiet and resumed his moving through the brush.

Hal leaned in towards Vague as they walked, whispering. "What are satyr? They smell vaguely like night elves."  
"That's because they used to be." Vague murmured in response. "They're corrupted night elves. Way back when, ten thousand years ago or so, a night elf let himself be corrupted by a demon for power or something like that. He could turn others into those like himself if they let him; and eventually the satyr became a species." He paused, a few of the satyr staring at him.

In the rain with their dark eyes and bestial figures they looked like monsters from the woods. Staring at him only made the monstrous qualities stand out more, and he quickened to look back at Hal. "The Naga are also corrupted night elves.. Except they were highborne, the first high elves, who were sunk with the queen of the highborne in the ocean depths. Over the years they.. Kind of mutated, I guess." He shrugged.

"How do you know so much?" Hal queried.

"I'm a mage. I read books. Lots of them. You'd be surprised how much gets written down over the years. Doesn't mean all of it is right, but.." Vague shrugged.


End file.
